Climate change threatens oaks and forests in Saxony-Anhalt massive!

Climate change threatens oaks and forests in Saxony-Anhalt massive!

In the forests of Germany, a worrying picture is emerging. While there are increased rainfalls in some regions, such as in Saxony-Anhalt, the forest stocks are still in a critical condition. This reports mdr . The oak in particular turns out to be vulnerable, while the spruce is already greatly decimated due to massive bark beetle infestation. The pest and the changing climate put the trees and let the forests fight for survival in their previous form.

It becomes clear that the possibilities for remedy are not easy. According to the experts from ZDF , the forest, as we know it, soon could no longer exist. The oaks suffer from pests such as the two -point oak beetle and already show significant crown constraints. These loads are often the result of floods and other climatic extreme events.

climate change brings the forests in distress

But the bark beetle is not the only malefactor. The beech trees and maple trees are also severely affected, as reported by the Deutschlandfunk . These tree species no longer bring it to the ripening, and the prevailing conditions, including drought time, drive many forest owners into an existential crisis. In the Sauerland and Harz, huge areas with dead spruces are visible where a thick forest once stood.

The numbers are alarming: four out of five trees in the German forests are sick, and over 700,000 hectares are considered defective. Over 25 billion euros in economic damage has been recorded since 2018. Monocultures, for example in the spruce stocks, make the forests extremely susceptible to changing climatic conditions and pests.

Hope from mixed forests